Hunter S. Thompson? Bill McKenna? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson has received credit for a remark about living an exuberant life and sliding broadside amid a cloud of smoke into the grave. I am skeptical of this ascription because I have been unable to find a solid citation. Would you …
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Anecdote Origin: Everything That Can Be Invented Has Been Invented
Henry L. Ellsworth? Charles H. Duell? Roswell Park? Royal S. Copeland? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: According to a popular legend the Commissioner of the U.S. Patent Office wanted to shut down the organization in the nineteenth century. He supposedly proclaimed: Everything that can be invented has been invented. The two primary candidates for the …
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Quote Origin: It Is More From Carelessness About Truth Than From Intentional Lying That There Is So Much Falsehood in the World
Samuel Johnson? James Boswell? Robert J. Hanlon? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Misquotations and misattributions are prevalent online, but people who are presenting this faulty information are rarely lying deliberately. Instead, they are naively repeating misinformation they have encountered in the past. The famous English lexicographer Samuel Johnson once said something pertinent which contrasted “carelessness …
Quote Origin: Anything You Lose Automatically Doubles In Value
Mignon McLaughlin? Curzon Cooper? Robert Byrne? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Whenever I lose an item it suddenly becomes very important. The item is exactly what I need to complete a vital task. This experience is reflected in the following quip: Anything you lose automatically doubles in value. Would you please determine who originated this …
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Quip Origin: If You’re Not Part of the Solution You’re Part of the Precipitate
David Foster Wallace? Richard Feynman? Sally Grant? Herb Caen? Wes Craven? Garrison Keillor? Henry J. Tillman? Graffito? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Chemists have taken the popular saying (A) and converted it into the comical remark (B). (A) If you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem.(B) If you’re not part of …
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Adage Origin: You Are Either Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution
Eldridge Cleaver? Harry Emerson Fosdick? Edna G. Fuller? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The world faces many difficulties, and each of us must shoulder the responsibility for helping to solve or ameliorate these difficulties. Here are three versions of a pertinent adage: (1) Each individual is either part of the problem or part of the …
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Repartee Origin: You Are the Second Most Beautiful Woman in the United Kingdom
Lilian Braithwaite? James Agate? Walter Winchell? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent drama critic in London once told a top actress that she was the second most beautiful woman in the United Kingdom. The critic expected her to ask for the identity of the most beautiful woman, but she wittily replied that she would …
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Anecdote Origin: Your Question Is Quite Simple. Hence, I’m Going To Ask My Chauffeur To Respond
Albert Einstein? Wernher von Braun? Max Planck? Charlie Munger? Ezekiel Landau? Jacob ben Wolf Kranz? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A humorous anecdote describes a brilliant person who has been invited by many organizations to deliver a lecture about their esoteric work. After successfully delivering lectures in multiple venues the person becomes bored and open …
Motto Origin: Good, Fast, Cheap — Pick Any Two
James M. Wallace? Erwin Frand? Gary Davis? Burt Reynolds? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Buyers always want products to be constructed with the highest quality, manufactured at the fastest speed, and priced at the lowest cost. Frustrated sellers assert that only two of those objectives can be achieved at the same time. The buyer must …
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Slogan Origin: Take Nothing But Pictures. Leave Nothing But Footprints
Museum Sign? Park Sign? Boy Scout Adage? Sierra Club Motto? Spelunkers Adage? Conrad L. Wirth? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Humans are now visiting remote and pristine locations around the globe. People are drawn to beautiful, historic, memorable, scenic, and enigmatic locales. A crucial admonition is impressed on visitors to these significant places. Here are …
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